🍱 Mikka no dango jiru

In Toyama Prefecture, a major rice-producing region, rice cake-based dishes and sweets are a staple at every event and milestone in the lives of the people. The three-day dumpling soup is a traditional dish made on the third day after giving birth to nourish the mother and help her breast milk flow. Sometimes, the family of the bride who gave birth to the baby will put a noshi (gift wrapper) on the dumpling soup set and distribute it to relatives. In addition to dumplings, other ingredients such as taro, are added to the soup to help the mother's milk flow and speed postpartum recovery. "Zuiki" is the leaf stalk (the part between the leaf and stem) of the Satoimo(=Japanese taro) which is dried and then rehydrated. Other vegetables such as Gobou(=Burdock root) and Napa cabbagee, mushrooms, and fish are also added in some places. The deep connection between the people of Toyama and rice cakes can be seen in the three-day dumpling soup eaten after the birth of a child, the belly band celebration five months before birth, and the custom of making rice cakes in various forms during the last month of pregnancy to pray for a safe delivery.